NASM TV Infomercial Review

Have you seen the NASM TV commercial? If not, it's actually a 30 minute infomercial ―complete with a studio audience ―that extols the benefits of the NASM personal trainer certification. This is actually pretty special because I believe its the very first time personal training organization infomercial – at least its the first I've seen. I've watched the infomercial and I wanted to give my opinions. My goal is not to bash the NASM but rather to make clear some of things.

Is NASM The Best?

If you watched the infomercial, you heard an NASM trainer says “NASM is the most readily accepted and has the most credibility of all personal training certifications.”

When I took the NSCA CSCS certification, in the 1990s the stipulation at the time was only those who had -at the least – a BS degree in a health-related field were allowed to take the exam. While the NSCA has since relaxed that stipulation (unfortunately), they still won't let anyone without at least a BS degree take the CSCS exam.

In contrast, people don’t need a college degree to take the NASM cert. You can take their exam with a HS diploma.

As I've said previously in my NSCA vs NASM post, I've seen NASM trainers fail the AAAI/ISMA exam? I've met several NASM trainers over the years who attend AAAI/ISMA classes I teach. I know this because I've graded their tests.

Let me be clear. I'm not at all saying this to boost AAAI/ISMA over NASM or any other organization, but rather to point out that nobody knows everything. This is why I value educationover certification.

How Much Do NASM Trainers Make?

This statistic does not mean all NASM CPTs earn that much. There will be some who do make this much ―and more than this―and there will be others who earn much less also.

A better question to ask is how much does the average NASM trainer make? At one time, the NASM website noted the average NASM personal trainer makes $44,000 per year. This statistic seems to come from the job website, SimplyHired.com.

Source: SimplyHired.com

As it says on SimplyHired.com: “This salary was calculated using the average salary for all jobs with the term “NASM certified personal trainer” anywhere in the job listing.

But this doesn’t tell us how many job listings were included. Was it 10 or 100 or 500 job listings? The more job listings that were included would give us a better idea of how accurate the average salary was.

Another problem is that they don’t tell us how many of these job listings were for full time vs. part time trainers. I'm going to assume that the $44,000 per year average salary is based on full time personal trainers, working 40 hours per week.

I could be wrong because personal trainers often work more than 40 hours per week. In fact, self employed trainers ―those who make more than 100,000 per year ―often work a LOT more than 40 hours per week!

While 44K sounds good, according to a 2013 survey by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) another fitness organization, which surveyed 3,000 of their certified professionals, the average yearly income for a full time ACE personal trainer was $52,537 per year. That's more than the 44K quoted by SimplyHired.com for NASM trainers.

Now, to put a damper on things, according to to the US Department of Labor and Statistics in May 2017, the average annual salary for full time personal trainers as a whole (without regard to certification) was $39,210.

Take a look at point #1. They say that NASM trainers earn make 20% more money than people who have NO credentials (certification). If we look at this statement from another angle, does it also mean people with no certification make almost as much as NASM personal trainers?

I mention this not as a slant at NASM but rather to point out that, this may be evidence to an unfortunate aspect of the fitness industry, namely, that a personal trainer's salary is, often tied to how well the person can sell personal training, rather than how good of a personal trainer they are.

As an aside I can tell you I've had gym salespeople in personal trainer classes I teach and it reinforces an old saying I once heard in school: “it's easier to make a salesman into a personal trainer than a personal trainer into a salesman.”

Gym managers understand a salesperson who also knows personal training could probably generate more money than a personal trainer, with no sales experience.

The OPT Model

At the heart of the NASM philosophy is the OPT Model of training, where OPT stands for Optimum Performance Training. Basically this training method breaks exercise down into the following phases:

Phase 1: Stabilization and endurance

Phase 2: Strength endurance

Phase 3: hypertrophy

Phase 4: Max strength

Phase 5: Power

While the OPC model is only found within the world of NASM, I must say these phases look very similar to those seen in the well established training method called Periodization. In Periodization, there are also phases devoted to endurance, hypertrophy, strength and power. As such, I'm going to assume that the OPT model is based on periodization.

NASM OPT Research

If you watched the infomercial you heard it stated that the:

“OPT model was validated by researchers by one of the leading intuitions of sports medicine.”

The word “validated” sounds important, but for the scientist in me, it’s a vague term. That said, I'm going to assume they are saying that it was proven that the OPT model was the best way to train. And by proven, I mean in a published, peer-reviewed study.

Published, peer reviewed research basically means that you do a study and submit it to a scientific journal to be published. But, before it's published, the research is submitted to other competent scientists (the “peers”) who go over it with a fine tooth comb, looking for any mistakes or issues. The people who did the study must address/fix any issues found by the peers before the study can be published. Published, peer reviewed research is the gold standard of research.

While the NASM infomercial did not tell us who did the research or where it was published, I started searching and located it.

The NASM site used to cite research conducted at the University of North Carolina. The study was titled “Comparison of Isolated (Traditional) and Integrated (OPT) Training on Functional Performance Measures.”

1. The study appears to be a collaboration between the Univ of North Carolina and the “National Academy of Spots Medicine Research Institute” (NASM-RI). What is the NASM-RI? As far as I can tell it appears the NASM-RI is located at the University of North Carolina.

2. The NASM OPT study does not appear to be a published peer reviewed study. Searching the National Library of Medicine ―a database of millions of research papers from around the world ―for the title of this study, nothing showed up.

I also goggled the title of the study as well and saw no reference to the study in any peer reviewed journal.

Why didn’t the NASM Research Institute -or the University of North Carolina – submit this study to any peer reviewed publication? The study appears to have been finished in 2012.

The 14 Day Free Trial

During the infomercial, it's stated that people could try the NASM free for 14 days. This 2 week trial is for the online NASM program only.

Also, the free trial does not include the NASM textbook – NASM Essentials of Fitness Training ―or the certification exam. This makes sense as I'm sure the NASM doesn’t want anyone taking the exam and get certified during the free trial period.

How Much Does It Cost?

The program being offered in the infomercial is called the Self Study package (the online course) and is $699.00. I believe the other name for this is the “eTeach” program.

The NASM also has an Associate Personal Trainer Experience for $1999.00. This package also includes an externship (which is like an internship).

The Associate Personal Trainer Experienceis not a an Associates degree program such as would be obtained from a college. I believe they call it Associate Personal Trainer because people will be associating with other fitness professionals during their externship.

NASM.org or USATrainer.com?

If you saw the infomercial, you may have noticed the website mentioned is not the NASM site but rather USATrainer.com. According to Whois.com (a site that lists information about websites) the USATrainer.com website was registered by SpinSix Strategic Marketing Design, LLC. This makes sense. NASM knows fitness while SpinSix knows marketing.

I believe the USATrainer.com site was created so they could track how many people signed up for the free trial from the TV commercial. It’s a way to see how well their marketing is working. Again, this makes sense. I wanted to mention this in case anyone was confused by the USATrainer.com site.

NASM Job Guarantee

In the infomercial, you may have seen a reference where if you pass the test, NASM would guaranteed you a job. To be eligible for a refund, you must have applied to at last 5 personal trainer positions within 60 days and have met all hiring criteria of those positions (including background checks).

NASM is accepted at most gyms so most people should have no issues finding a job.

For those who can't find a job, The NASM may request proof of job applications and rejections before issuing a refund. Refunds must be submitted to the NASM within 12 months of purchasing the NASM personal trainer program. You can read more about this on their Terms and Conditions Page.

NASM: Is It The Best?

My main goal in writing this review was cut through the glitz of the NASM TV commercial and give you some useful information to help you make a better decision. For some, that may mean getting NASM certified. For others it may mean going with another certification organization. The NASM is a fine organization, but I would not call it “the best.” The simple truth is, there is no best.

I believe this needs to be said because I don’t think people hear enough. While it is true, that NASM trainers learn a lot, it's also true the NASM is very good at marketing themselves ―the TV infomercial being an example of this. While marketing is good, I think that by only hearing “NASM,” it limits the opportunity of people to explore other options.

There are well over 100 organizations in the US that certify personal trainers. The certifications of some of these organizations are just as good and cost a lot less than the $699 – $1999 for NASM certs. Consider if money is tight.

For those who are interested in fitness as a career, read my review on how to be a personal trainer. It might save you some time – and money.

What do you think?

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Comments

I been a student of AAAI/ISMA since 2007. I’m a personal trainer who is dyslexic. I told nasm about it. I was told my Iep (special education papers for people with disabilities) was good enough even without a dr note. And now their compliance lady will not accept my iep papers because I’m not in high school anymore. The only way she will accept them is if she has a dr note and updated papers. Their customer service number is impossible to reach anyone. But I tweeted them and they have been very understanding and willing to make courtesy adjustment for testing when they receive my new information.

This is the worst customer service I experienced. And their retest fee is a rip off.

Thanks for the information. I am certified through NASM as a part of my BS in fitness and wellness through Cal U PA. It was a requirement for my degree and was included in the cost. Prior to going to school I was studying for NSCA certification. I am not thrilled about the infomercial. I have not seen it aired but heard rumors from other NASM trainers.

I think personal trainers should have a BS, but that still won’t guarantee a good trainer. I have encountered many trainers with different certifications and a lot of times and I am astounded by their lack of basic knowledge.

My main issue with this field is the sales. I don’t like it. I guess that’s why personal training is more of a hobby than a career for me lately. I’d rather help people get healthier than be a sales person. I have that financial luxury, where others do not.

I stumbled across this post while researching about a supplement a client was asking me about. I fell down the rabbit hole and have been looking at all of your “stuff” for hours. Great resource here, thanks!

Actually I got here through supplemental-geek. The supplement was Protandim. I think I spend most of my time researching supplements, quick weight loss diets and shakes for my clients. So it was nice to find a useful site.

ahh yes protandim. that review gets quite a lot of attention. I’m really glad you found my site useful. It’s a labor of love for me. I saw you signed up to my newsletter also – thanks 🙂 You should get it soon.

Great review Joe!!! You certified me as a Level 1 & Level 2 Trainer @AAAI and I learned (and continue to learn) so much from you! I am now looking to go further with my education in Corrective Exercise which is why I am considering the NASM CES cert, and thankfully I have a B.S. and can take this level certification without getting their baseline PT certification.

My message to all up and coming trainers: YOU are what makes you great, not the letters after your name! My client retention is better than most, and I did not learn “personal interaction” in a book or online.

You can know every bone and muscle in the body, but if you cannot work with people, listen to them, and/or provide them with what they “need” – you will not succeed in this business. I have worked with A LOT of great trainers, and a lot of not so great trainers – regardless of their education.

Thank you for being here for us – I value your knowledge and always know I can get the straight story from you…I asked you 7 years ago what is the best cert. to have, and you told me just what you have written in this article. I truly believe that I would not be a better trainer with a NASM, ACE etc. – anyone can read and learn, but you either have “it” to be a trainer, or you don’t!

Andrea, that is so nice of you to say -and wow 7 years went by so fast!! I am very glad to hear how well you are doing and continue to wish you all the success in the world! Keep me posted on how you are doing too 🙂

A great read, I like your take on the NSAM certification. Not only do I get a lot of their advertisements in the mail promising me a starting salary of $44,000 a year, but I did purchase a class with NASM and it wrecked my bank account.

The best part is they didn’t care that they were destroying my credit over drafting my account even when I called constantly trying to figure out a new payment option they wouldn’t help me out. In fact a man named Jason who is the head of their financial department accused me of wanting to commit FRAUD of all things when I asked to put in a temporary card that was good for one payment.

Then when I tried to talk to someone else they put a woman on who gave me the “AW” stuff like a condescending mother. A lot of what you said was completely true I found their online instruction was nothing more than a large stroke of their ego claiming to be the best certification you can get.

They openly scoff at other certifications and the one thing they kept going on about was how they had scientists all over develop this system which is periodization only with different fancy terms.

All in all I would say my experience with them was extremely poor and a “discount” was $1200 which in turn was for the text book, class, and a cheap $10 backpack which broke apart in the first month.

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Credentials

Joe Cannon, MS has written for several publications including The Journal of Strength and Conditioning, Today's Dietitian, and Prevention. He's been quoted in the New York Times, lectured to NASA and has been a content consultant for Dateline NBC. He's the author of the first book ever published on rhabdomyolysis and exercise.
Joe Cannon, has a BS in Chemistry and Biology and a MS in Exercise Science. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a personal trainer certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).